The Local Government Elections in Abia State on Saturday faced significant challenges due to a lack of electoral materials and officials at polling stations.
Reporters from the News Agency of Nigeria, who were monitoring the election, observed that the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) had not delivered materials to polling stations by 11 a.m., although the commission had scheduled distribution for 7 a.m., with voting set to begin by 8 a.m.
At various locations, including Umuahia South, Osisioma, Aba North, and Aba South LGAs, neither materials nor officials were present at some polling units. Some ad hoc staff were seen waiting at local government headquarters for the arrival of election materials.
In addition, there was a noticeable low voter turnout at many polling units visited across the state. A few voters were present at some locations, waiting for the materials to arrive and for voting to start.
In areas such as Umuahia South, Aba North, South, and Osisioma LGAs, polling units were largely empty of voters, officials, and security personnel. Units visited included Polling Units 009 and 015 at Avonipupe Primary School, Unit 008 at Ipupe Village Hall, and several units at Ogbo Central School and Umuosu Community School.
In an interview, two prospective voters in Ubakala, near Umuahia, voiced frustration over ABSIEC’s failure to facilitate the election effectively. Mrs. Joy Eze shared that she was monitoring her polling unit for updates but eventually decided to tend to her salon customers while waiting. She was eager to vote in support of her preferred candidates for Chairmanship and Councillorship.
Another resident, Mrs. Onyinyechi Ishmael, expressed disinterest in voting, saying her previous experiences made her feel that votes do not count in the country’s elections.
“If our votes count as the leaders claim, I believe there will be signs that election will actually take place.
“Unfortunately, there is no sign that election will take place at the various polling units around my neighborhood,” Ishmael said.
In Aba, Mr Collins Ogbonna, a resident of Ward 3, said that he came out by 8 am to his polling unit 007 to vote but did not see any election officials.
Ogbonna attributed the poor voter turnout to “voter apathy and fear of gunmen” in Aba.
He called on the residents to come out and vote to ensure the right persons assumed political leaderships at the grassroots.
The Deputy Chairmanship Candidate for Zenith Labour Party in Osisioma LGA, Mr Aguwa, told NAN that the eletoral materials had been brought to the council headquarters for the polls.
Aguwa further said that the representatives of other parties inspected and confirmed the materials to be complete.
He, however, said that the materials had yet to be shared “because the LGA, which has about 301 polling units, is complex.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Voter Education and Enlightenment in ABSIEC, Dr Kelechukwu Okere, has described the report of absence of materials at the polling units as “pure falsehood”.
Okere told NAN that the commission made adequate arrangements for the seamless distribution of materials and election officials to ensure a smooth exercise.